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Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home. The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine." (summary from beccafitzpatrick.com)

Becca Fitzpatrick's Crescendo is the dark and exciting sequel to Hush, Hush. The story picks up where Hush, Hush left off and dives deeper into the history of angels and what actually happened to Nora's father. The world of angels and nephilim that Fitzpatrick creates is exciting and intriguing. The relationship between bad boy Patch and Nora develops significantly, both emotionally and physically. However, their relationship becomes complicated when Nora learns that Patch has been keeping secrets and not telling her the complete truth. Nora begins to realize that maybe she shouldn't trust Patch so completely.

The plot moves at an exciting but steady pace with many surprising twists. Nora develops greatly in the story and becomes tougher as she attempts to solve the mystery behind her fathers death. Nora is a strong and independent character who faces much betrayal in this installment. Fitzpatrick creates realistic characters and a vivid world filled with angel mythology. I loved Crescendo even more than Hush, Hush and was shocked by the surprise cliff-hanger. Readers will be left anxiously anticipating the next installment, Tempest, due out next Fall.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

"Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena’s family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.Sometimes life-ending. Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan’s eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there’s no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town’s tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems." (Summary from beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/)

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's Beautiful Darkness is the sequel to Beautiful Creatures. The plot is an original supernatural story and the book opens with the characters recovering from the events from the previous book. However, more problems await each character, especially the protagonists Ethan and Lena. Their relationship faces more trouble than ever and Ethan finds himself risking it all for the girl from his dreams.

I enjoyed Beautiful Darkness even more than Beautiful Creatures. The suspenseful plot picks up quickly and makes it difficult for the reader to put the book down. I love the setting for the book and the authors do a extraordinary job creating it. I love that the series is narrated in the males perspective. Each character is unique in their own way, and one of my personal favorite characters is Link, who I was happy to see more of in this book. I recommend readers to read Beautiful Darkness and, if not yet, Beautiful Creatures.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

"Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them." (Summary from goodreads.com)

Richelle Mead's, Last Sacrifice, is the final installment of the Vampire Academy series in Rose's perspective. The book picks up where Spirit Bound ended. Rose is in prison for the murder of Queen Tatiana. Rose escapes prison and is on the run from her fellow guardians while she tries to prove her innocence and find Lisa's illegitimate sibiling. Rose has matured and changed greatly throughout the series, but especially in this installment. Rose is a strong, sarcastic, and witty character that provides comic relief to the story.Last Sacrifice is suspensful and shocking from beginning to end. All of the characters from the past books have returned as well. Rose and Lissa are separated from one another for a great deal of the book, but their bond still keeps them connected. When Rose goes inside Lissa's head, the reader is able to see what the others characters are doing. While on her mission, Rose eventually finds herself in a triangle withDimitriand Adrian, and must figure out who she has true feelings for.I loved Last Sacrifice,and thought it was a great ending to the series.Richelle Mead is an extraordinary writer who creates a exciting world, as well as fun and strong characters. Rose Hathaway is one of my favoritefictional characters, because she is tough but vulnerable at times, and her sense of humor lightens up the dark situations in the story. The character of Lissa greatly matures in this story and learns that she didn't need to rely on Rose so much. One of my favorite parts of the series was the bond between Rose and Lissa, and when Rose would go inside Lissa's head. I was happy to see past characters return again, such as Sydney. The plot was shocking with many twists until the end and was not what I expected. Last Sacrifice was a great ending to Rose's story and I will be looking forward to the spin-off series.

Friday, December 3, 2010

"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow." (summary from goodreads.com)

Matched by Ally Condie is an original story set in a Society that controls every aspect of the individuals lives, from their food to who they will marry. The Society takes away the citizens choices to ensure, in their minds, a healthy, happy, and perfect individual. The main protagonist, Cassia, accepts this lifestyle in the beginning, but as the story progresses she begins to resent that she can't make her own choices. Along with Cassia, the reader slowly learns just what the Society is capable of. Cassia develops into a strong willed character by the end.

Cassia is matched to her best friend Xander, however, she also sees Ky before the screen goes black. Cassia has been friends with Ky since they were children as well. The Society tells Cassia that it was a mistake and that her true match is Xander. Cassia soon finds herself developing stronger feelings for not only Xander, but also Ky. She finds herself having to choose between doing what Society tells her is the right choice or making a choice for herself.

I loved Matched and found it nearly impossible to put down for even five minutes. The controlling and manipulative Society is described in so much detail that the reader can picture it clearly. While reading I found myself completely enraged with the Society and caring greatly for the characters. Condie creates strongly developed characters, but she does not waste time over describing their physical characteristics. I am already anxiously awaiting for the next installment in this series, but for now I strongly recommend Matched, it is a must read.

Disclaimer

All reviews published on this blog are based on books that I have either purchased myself or received from an author or publisher in exchange for an honest review. It is noted in the review whether I purchased a book myself or received the book from the publisher or author. I receive no compensation from any of the reviews that I publish. Unless otherwise noted, all photos used on this blog are from Google and are not owned by me.